Living The Life

 As we walk deeper into our adventure, I'm increasingly aware at how well our kids have rolled with all of the changes they confront daily.  From brushing teeth with bottled water and throwing TP into trash cans to being surrounded by Spanish speakers and unfamiliar foods, they have adapted surprisingly well.  That said, we are realizing that a little kid time goes a long way in keeping everyone happy.

We've had to be a close unit--especially walking around town and crossing streets. This colonial town while well planned on a grid with a central plaza etc., was never intended to be clogged with herds of cars and roaring, oversized buses.  Sidewalks are narrow at best and often pocked with holes.  So, navigating the city on foot requires a lot of tethering and prodding of the children to keep them alive.  I forgot to mention that pedestrians do not have the right of way which is a difficult concept for them to understand--those cars will not stop for you.  Needless to stay, it is the most stressful part of our day and tiresome for them to not be able to be as carefree as they are meant to be.

So, in an effort to expend some of that energy, the kids played some soccer in a small plaza on the way to the big park with swing sets, jungle gyms, and all of that good stuff.  After eating lunch at a restaurant specializing in Oaxacan food, we explored another new neighborhood.  The kids loved where we ate because of the chatty parrots that lined the patio wall, and I loved the absolute clutter of plants, colorful murals, and our shady, magical outdoor spot.  The neighborhood of Jatatlco, originally a separate town, is now absorbed into Oaxaca City.  Its church, San Mateo, has a distinct facade, a colorful Guadalupe shrine, and two enormous old trees in its plaza.

I'm continually struck by the colorful buildings and homes in Oaxaca as well as the residents dedication to plants.  They are both so good for the soul.

Back at our apartment the kids played with the neighbor boy in our enclosed courtyard.  This has been a saving grace for Abe who misses his friends so much.  It is also great because the kids are able to roam the patio but are safe from the street. We are both free from each other which gives both parents and kids a much needed break from each other.  Still we can keep an eye and ear out for them.

Traditional green pottery from region

Hiking Among The People of The Clouds

 What can I say, the natural environment in Oaxaca is something special especially since it is richly shaded in greens during this rainy season.  We drove 90 minutes into the mountains parking in the small town of Benito Juarez, one member of the Pueblos Mancomunados association which unites 8 villages in promoting ecotourism in their region.  We then climbed about 1.5 miles to a look out point where we snacked on regional treats before hiking down another path, making a loop.  Back in town we devoured a delicious lunch of soup made from squash vines, fried mushrooms, and pot beans, fresh tortillas, Aguas de Jamaica and Limon, and apples cooked in cinnamon and sugar cane.  The meal tasted especially delicious considering it was local and after working up an appetite.

  I think I took about 250 pictures mostly transfixed by the enormous agave cacti.  These in particular are the maguey cacti which send up a tall asparagus-like flower which produces babies before the plant dies. They can live as long as they have sufficient resources.  We definitely passed very old ones that were taller than Pat--100 years or more.  At times I felt like we were in a pre-historic environment and other times a fairy forest full of pines, moss, and mushrooms.  At one point Yves, our Swiss born guide spotted a small calico butterfly perched on a yellow flower.  He coaxed it onto his finger, then onto Abe's, and finally onto Penelope on whom the butterfly climbed further.  Penelope carried that small mariposa quite a distance before it flew away.  She talked to it the whole way, too.  Yves and his German wife lead tours in Oaxaca and southern Mexico, they support local healers specializing in plant medicine and steam baths, and they help send girls to a private school.  They are certainly an interesting pair of transplants.

Yves was able to give us tastes of the plants growing along the path--tasting of mint, green apple, lemon, and he told us which was for gastritis, which for headaches, and the best root for washing your hair.  He also told us of a French man who lives in the region and grows mushrooms.  He then creates a tincture which apparently is very curative.  Yves claimed that two drops in your morning coffee will take care of your illness. Unfortunately none was for sale in the tourist stand today.

Oh, there was a very long hanging bridge that tested all of our nerves.  Abe was excited about the zip line possibility until he saw that it stretched over a deep canyon.  Luckily the men with rigging failed to show and we continued on.  We returned tired and still voraciously hungry from all that mountain air.  It was a gift to be in the trees, clouds, and mushrooms today.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Red Hot Poker Flower which the hummingbirds adored

related to the jade

Benito Juarez Village

Oaxaca Valley 

Aye Yai Yai!

Fairy Mushroom

Easy Does It

 So now is the point in my blog where I begin to list mundane details about our life here in Oaxaca.  We seem to be slowing down which is sort of wonderful.  I guess today was sort of a kid choice day.  We left the apartment in early afternoon heading first to the zocalo to sit, sketch, and play.  There is always action. We like to watch the cute puppies lumber about, hear the squeak of the shoe shiners turning the dull into brilliant, and follow the marimba players carrying their sonorous instrument on their shoulders from restaurant to restaurant.  Penelope always has to greet the fountain and check to see if there are any new balloons for sale.  We have to tell at least five vendors that we don't want wooden combs or toothpicks, but secretly I want to buy something from everyone.  We often see our little friend following her mom who sells woven blouses.  She always waves hello.  After awhile we leave to visit the ATM so that we continue to exist here.  There is almost always a line ten deep.  This gives us a chance to decide what to eat.  The kids picked pizza, and there's a place next door offering a two for one.  We settled into a booth; the boys faced the flat screen which was showing the Argentinian/Swiss game.  After eating BOTH pizzas we rolled out for the market to replenish our tiny kitchen.

We stepped into the covered market in time to hear "GOOOOLLLLLLLLL!" A vendor had a small TV in his booth, and we were happy to see that Argentina scored in its final minutes.  Today's market trip was significant because it was the first time we purchased tamales from a small operation meaning there was a line of women selling tlayuda tortillas and tamales.  I bought four tamales de chepil from a woman who offered me a sample.  Chepil is a green that Oaxacans use in their rice and tamales.  It is supposed to be rich in nutrients.  She ladled salsa into a plastic bag insisting that Oaxacans eat lots of salsa.  "You need lots of salsa" she repeated.  (Her salsa was amazing by the way!) She remarked at how attractive the children are, and that the tamales are good for them.

 Pen was delighted to finally get a bouquet of fresh flowers, and holding them in both hands with her sweet smile on her face an older man at the market exit told me that she looks like a saint.  Finally after a few more veggies and fruits we picked out some broccoli and fruit from a vendor who told me that the avocados were too expensive as if to discourage me.  I bought them anyway--4 for 20 pesos (1.50 USD), and she threw a fifth in the bag for me!

The rest of the afternoon rained and rained.  I guess there is a storm off the Pacific.  Tomorrow we will be picked up at 8:30 for a hike in the cloud forest.  I hope the weather holds out for us, and that the kids' legs do as well.

Cathedral